Mato-tope

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Mah-to-toh-pe by George Catlin

Mato-tope holding a lance and wearing painted and quilled shirt, drawn by Karl Bodmer

Mato-tope (also known as Ma-to-toh-pe or Four Bears) (c.1795 - July 30, 1837) was a chief of the Mandan tribe. He became friends with artist Karl Bodmer in 1833, and became chief in the year 1836. Around that time, a smallpox epidemic wiped out most of his tribe, leaving 125 survivors out of a population of formerly 1,600. He died on July 30, 1837. Many believed that he died of smallpox, but George Catlin claimed that he starved himself to death out of grief from the death of his family.

[edit] Source

• "Famous Indians, page 3" at axel-jacob.de, URL accessed 03/11/06

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